


a full time job admiring (all the ways that you're inspiring)

by phujiapples



Category: Persona 5
Genre: F/M, Getting Together, Holding Hands
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:21:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25698751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phujiapples/pseuds/phujiapples
Summary: “I hope you aren’t this… intimate with your adult clients, Maruki-san.” Perhaps ‘intimate’ was too strong of a word, but she was pretty sure that gently caressing someone’s hands wasn’t exactly something that happens during counseling. Not that this was a counseling session—this was just a conversation, after all.Not that she’s complaining, though.
Relationships: Kawakami Sadayo/Maruki Takuto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25





	a full time job admiring (all the ways that you're inspiring)

On the day that the staff and students of Shujin Academy were properly introduced to the new school counselor, Sadayo Kawakami was immediately distrustful. After everything that the administration had let slide out of willful ignorance, hiring what was essentially the academic equivalent to HR felt less like an act of goodwill and more like damage control. 

It didn’t help that the second that the doctor came out on stage, he had the entire female student body eating out of the palm of his hand—he was supposed to fix the mess caused by Kamoshida, not create a bigger one.

She had never been so relieved to be wrong about someone.

While Shujin would forever be scarred by the days when Suguru Kamoshida freely sauntered down the halls as if he were a king among peasants, Takuto Maruki, armed with nothing but snacks and sympathy, broke through the clouds of his reign like the first ray of sunshine after a rainy day. 

Although he seemed a little idealistic, the reality was that Maruki was one of the few members among Shujin’s staff to actively and genuinely care for the wellbeing of the students. Based on his office hours basically being “always available”, it seemed that he felt like he could single-handedly fix the problems of every student and staff member he could get into his office, but Sadayo admired his dedication nonetheless.

There was a time when she possessed that same devotion, but months—years, really—of guilt and insurmountable, ever-increasing debt to the Takases had slowly eroded her resolve. 

She wondered if she could ever be like that again.

These were thoughts she hated to dwell on, but staying behind by herself to mindlessly grade assignments led her to places she’d rather not go to while at school. Once Sadayo finished the first stack of reports, she felt rather pleased with herself… until she remembered that she still had another half to go through. She buried her face in her desk for a solid ten seconds and let out a groan. After taking another look at the pile of papers to make sure that she wasn’t just imagining how much taller it was than the previous pile—she wasn’t—Sadayo immediately began rubbing her temples in order to stave off the incoming migraine. 

“Ugh… I need a break.” She was talking to herself, but it felt nice all the same. Sadayo got up from her seat, did some stretches, tried to ignore how loudly her back cracked, and left her classroom. She wandered around the school with no destination in mind, but found herself approaching the nurse’s office once she saw that the lights were still on.

Seeing Maruki wasn’t a surprise in the slightest, but Sadayo expected an easy-going and endearingly clumsy man at his desk, doing whatever it was that counselors do when they have no clients.

Simply put, that wasn’t who she saw.

Takuto Maruki was scribbling words into a paper so furiously it looked as though it could catch on fire at any moment. His lab coat lay haphazardly underneath the coat rack and crumpled wads of paper littered the floor surrounding an overfilled trash can, both arranged in such a way that it was clear that whatever he was writing took priority over everything else in his life. The harsh lighting of the office reflected onto his glasses in a way that covered up his eyes, but the way his eyebrows were furrowed made it clear that this was not the same person who tried and failed to salt a pot of stew. 

Sadayo felt like she wasn’t meant to see this. She could turn around, go back to her classroom, and finish grading papers like she didn’t just intrude on a very personal moment. He hadn’t even noticed her yet—he was completely engrossed in his writing.

Yes. That’s what she would do.

But instead of actually doing that, she said, “You know, you sure do spend a lot of time here for a part-time counselor.” She immediately put a hand over her mouth, as if it would undo the awkward moment she just created.

Maruki immediately stopped writing when he heard her voice. He stared at Sadayo like she was a ghost until he realized just how much of a mess he had made of the office. He gave a sheepish grin while holding up a finger to indicate that he needed time to pick things up. She obliged, of course, but only because it would be rude to leave now. Yeah, that was the only reason—just politeness.

Once he had finished disposing of the papers, he threw on his lab coat in a motion so smooth, Sadayo was sure he spent time practicing it. As he approached her, he ran his hand through his disheveled hair—which she suspected was messy on purpose because there’s no way anyone could be this attractive completely on accident.

Those papers in her classroom could wait.

“Ah, you must be Kurusu-kun’s homeroom teacher! Kawakami-san, right? He’s told me so much about you, you know.” Maruki took her hands and held them in his own. The forwardness of the gesture would have been off-putting had it been anyone else, but the way he smiled at her put her at ease. Still though, it was an awkward way to shake someone’s hands.

“…Has he now?” Sadayo’s mind flashed back to that night when he and Sakamoto-kun found her moonlighting as a maid. She thought that offering him her housekeeping services was enticing enough to keep him from spilling her secret to the rest of the school, but if it turns out that it wasn't, she'd...

Maruki let out a slightly pained grunt, and Sadayo looked down to see that she had unconsciously squeezed his hands a little too hard. As she loosened her grip, she met his eyes to apologize.

“Oh! I’m so sorry, I had no ide—”

“No, no need to worry! I’ve only ever heard good things about you.” Sadayo was impressed that he was able to figure out why she got all worked up over a seemingly simple statement, but she figured that as a counselor, being observant was a necessity. Maruki placed his left hand on top of her right and patted it, as if to reassure her.

“I hope you aren’t this… intimate with your adult clients, Maruki-san.” Perhaps ‘intimate’ was too strong of a word, but she was pretty sure that gently caressing someone’s hands wasn’t exactly something that happens during counseling. Not that this was a counseling session—this was just a conversation, after all.

Not that she’s complaining, though.

"Of course not! That being said, I hope you weren’t under the assumption that I only consider you a potential client. Now then, I know we met when I first started working here at Shujin, but I find it best to not pressure anyone to come see me…” He trailed off, as if the little he said was enough for her to understand what he meant.

Sadayo was too caught up in the hand-holding—which was still happening, by the way—for her to realize how strange this whole interaction was. Did he want something? Money, maybe? After all, he’d implied on more than one occasion that he’s got financial problems—and people don’t look at you like you’re a perfect test score if they don’t have some sort of ulterior motive. 

"Maruki-kun, what exactly are you trying to say here?" 

“Ah, sorry! I suppose I’ll just get to the point, then. Shall we go out for drinks sometime?” He flashed a smile so radiant that it could make plants grow. Apple trees, maybe—she noticed that he had a preference for apple juice during lunch. “Consider this more of a ‘hang-out’ than ‘therapy’.”

Oh.

Sadayo felt her face turn hot.  _ This isn’t a date this isn’t a date this isn’t—Pull it together and give him an answer already! He’s starting to look at you funny,  _ she thought.

“Sure,” she squeaked out before clearing her throat. “Yes, I would love to.”

His face lit up even more, somehow. He took his phone out of the pockets of his khakis and pointed at it. “Great! Then, should we…?” Sadayo nodded because she knew she’d make a fool out of herself if she tried to say anything more, and they exchanged numbers.

It took all of her restraint, but she made it back to her classroom without breaking into a sprint. She glanced at the ungraded papers, and with the memory of soft hands and a warm smile, got to work.

She finished in record time.

**Author's Note:**

> based on this comic by AngstyAstro on tumblr and twitter: https://angstyastro.tumblr.com/post/614588443093319680/once-again-i-come-to-offer-yall-a-pair-aint-no
> 
> anyway i care them and i want you to care them as well
> 
> perhaps i will write about the date?? maybe?? hEH


End file.
